1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to coke ovens and, in particular, to coke oven wall liners.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In most types of horizontal coke oven batteries a heating wall containing vertical combustion flues is interposed between two adjacent coking chambers. It is known that the rate of carbonization in these chambers may be improved by increasing the rate of heat flow through the wall liners between these flues and the oven chambers. One way of increasing the rate of heat flow through these wall liners is, of course, merely to decrease their thicknesses. It is recognized, however, that the extent to which the thicknesses of these wall liners may be reduced is limited by the need to maintain certain levels of structural strength to resist lateral pressures which might be exerted on them by coal charges in the oven chambers and overhead loads imposed by larry cars which traverse the battery top. Accordingly, various designs have been suggested which have, at least in part, the object of increasing the rate of heat flow by increasing the surface area of the wall liner on its surface which is exposed to the heated flue. Such a design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,102,846 which proposes that wall liners be constructed so that horizontal layers of brick having a uniform thickness from two and a half to four and a half inches are vertically alternated with horizontal layers of brick having a uniform thickness of from five to eight inches. Although the above mentioned design appears to increase surface area on the flue side of the liner wall so as to increase the rate of heat flow while maintaining a requisite degree of structural strength in the wall liner, it is believed that still better results may be obtained from a design which provides for increased surface area but creates a small amount of surface turbulence in the rising gases in the flue while avoiding more severe turbulence in the central portion of the flue. It is, therefore, the object of the present invention to provide a coke oven wall liner design which allows for adequate structural strength while, at the same time, maximizes the rate of heat flow therethrough and avoids undue turbulence in the flue.